Another year ends. A lake-worth of albums have been released. We may have listened to 0.000348% of them but in the grand scope of things, that's a massive heap of releases we put our ears to! Halifax Collect's contributors and friends have started submitting their lists. Here's the third batch (first one here)!
Please submit your list in the comment section or start a conversation regarding our picks. What ought to be on there? What did we miss out on? Is one or more of our picks horrid and inconsequential?
The almighty, feared but instantly lovable kvltmvffin Eyvindur Gauti: Lord Currents (link), Andfari (link) overfiend. Both reputable realms for music and ideas, both splendorous and frightening.
Is this the best thing to happen to Norway since Soulside Journey? Yes, it is. You simply cannot deny the Voivodian madness that lies within this album!
2. Behemoth – The Satanist
Over the top devil worship and great deathlike black metal can’t go wrong.
3. Hetroertzen – Ain Soph Aur
In my opinion Exaltation of Wisdom was just shy of being a masterpiece. Ain Soph Aur is not as strong but still a very good successor.
4. Nightbringer – Ego Dominus Tuus
“Ain over Ego? Surely you kid, Eyvindur.” Do I look like I’m kidding?
5. Menace Ruine – Venus Armata
When I first heard “Red Sulphur” I knew this one would land high on my list if it all sounded as good. Obviously it did. You can call it mood music if you like to dress up in nothing but a neck tie, or you can call it ritual music.
6. Bölzer – Soma
Like oh so many I was completely “Entranced by the Wolfshook” and submitted myself wholeheartedly to the modern version of the “Roman Acupuncture” method which doesn’t rip through your skin and bones like in good old ’33. It makes your eyes and ears bleed, though, but that’s all right.
7. Sólstafir – Ótta
Years from now people will look at Ótta and say that this was the album that really made Sólstafir what they will be then. Bigger than Sigur Rós? Give it five years and a lot of miles on the road and that might just be the case.
8. Sinmara – Aphotic Womb
The band was previously known as Chao and often lumped in the new wave of orthodox black metal. Having hopped off that one-way train the band might just make a dent in tomorrow’s black metal world.
9. Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
Finally!
10. 1349 – Massive Cauldron of Chaos
Ten years ago people couldn’t shut up about this band and I couldn’t for the life of me understand what all the fuss was about. With Massive Cauldron of Chaos I am finally ready to agree with the rest of civilization.
10 again, Taake – Stridens Hus
We started this list in Norway and we’re going to end it there as well. If Taake was a tree the trunk would be made of pure black metal but the branches would be all over the great forest of runaway genres.
This year! A lot of bands did not make the list. Good bands! Bands like Artificial Brain, which I really wanted to squeeze in between some of these albums. Ascension, Avichi, The Deathtrip, Den Saakaldte, Fen, Mysticum, Nigtsatan, Primordial, Raspberry Bulbs, Varathron, Voices and Winterfylleth, just to name a few, all made great albums that I would liked to have on this list but one to ten just doesn’t have enough room.
"I'm a Halifax Collect dude who currently writes for Do Not Resuscitate (link) - I can be found on Instagram posting vinyl and my dogs @evanerratic." Mr. Evan Coonly has contributed to this blog for years. I heart eye'd him first via his Fetch The Pliers blog, and later the Total VVar/Crush The Opposition blogs.
1. Moutheater - Passing Key
2. Gas Chamber - Hemorrhaging Light
Local bias aside, Gas Chamber is one of the best bands going and Hemorrhaging Light is a monster of a record. They're doing their own thing and it's amazing.
3. Swans - To Be Kind
It's on a long journey like The Seer was yet doesn't seem like 2 hours. I love the way they can weave together different sounds to make this unique vision. It has stuck with me since the first time I heard it on a long car ride to see Seven Sisters Of Sleep months ago.
4. Wolves Of Heaven/Nyodene D
The trilogy (Holy Things, Failures, Romance) is my favorite material COH has released so far (With "The Summer Of Missing Children" not far behind) and it made sense to read that Wolves Of Heaven had connections to those. Paired with Nyodene D, who has been putting out solid releases for a while now, this is a great album.
5. Pig Heart Transplant - For Mass Consumption
Strangely disorienting yet hauntingly beautiful at the same time. I'm a big fan of Jon Kortland's projects and this didn't disappoint in the slightest. I loved the horror soundtrack feel on "1970" and "1980".
6. Haymaker - Let Them Rot
Zero filler. Five minutes of Haymaker is better than 99% of "pissed off" hardcore bands' discographies.
7. Iron Lung - Savagery
If Iron Lung releases something, it usually ends up on either my most played or top 10 of the year list. Primitive and punishing.
8. Absolut - Punk Survival
A distorted assault on the senses with ripping guitar riffs. The demos were rad but the LP sounds so gnarly.
9. Farang - EP
A record with groovy jams that gives me Black Flag/Minutemen vibes. Totally caught me off guard when I first spun it.
10. Pharaoh - Negative Everything
I knew the Pharaoh LP was going to be good but NOT this good. Within a minute, you're immersed in this claustrophobic slow crawl that doesn't let up until the needle lifts up. Crazy good.
This is Alexander Ólafsson's list. Long time friend and ever the punk rock renaissance man. Constantly moving, he probably lives somewhere in the US. Or Iceland. Who knows?
1. The Garden - Single
2. Enjoy - Punk Planet
3. Corners - Maxed Out On Distractions
4. The Abigails - Tundra
5. Pink Street Boys - Kick The Trash Out
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